AU Archives - Page 3 of 14

For building companies, scalability isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a necessity. Paul Dugdale of ARCA and Dale Spencer of Southern Ocean Building and Consulting (SOBAC), are shedding light on the importance of systems and technology when it comes to running an efficient, successful building company. Let’s dig into some key lessons from these experts.

Lesson 1: Find the right people

Getting the right people on board and equipping them with the right tools and systems is the first step in scaling your business. To do this, identify bottlenecks in your existing processes and work out how to relieve these through either automation, delegation, or elimination. Being proactive and identifying what the critical points are in your business and making sure these run smoothly is a great way to make your business more efficient.

Lesson 2: Get on top of your financial forecasting

Knowing exactly where you are and if you are on track (or not) with your budgets is key to making sure your business succeeds. Being able to forecast to identify any problems, allows you to make changes to manage these. The best way to do this is to use integrated software that gives you oversight across your business and can also make financial forecasting more efficient which saves you time and frees you up to work on other parts of your business.

Lesson 3: Systemise your business

At the heart of scalability lies the ability to use software and systems to improve efficiency. The key is to use simple systems that offer both high-level overviews and can also easily drill down into the details, empowering the right people to make informed decisions quickly and easily.

Lesson 4: Embrace the suffering

Running a business is hard! And even our experts admit that there’s always something that pops up to keep you on your toes. Having the confidence to know that whatever tomorrow brings because you have created strong and resilient systems in your business you will be able to deal with those problems, gain knowledge from them and create a strategy to fix them, will mean that you will continue to build a successful business.

Remember you can’t do it all so finding the right way to do it is the key to success.

Watch the full video to discover the systems and integrations that Paul and Dale have used to successfully scale and take their business to the next level.

Running a safe site isn’t just about wearing hard hats and harnesses; it’s about effective communication and staying aware of what’s going on on-site. One of the most powerful tools is the humble toolbox meeting. These gatherings are the backbone of ensuring everyone on site is up to speed with hazards and safe working practices.

Download the Simple Guide to toolbox meetings to get tonnes of ideas for toolbox meeting topics.

Why toolbox meetings matter

Toolbox meetings are a forum to highlight safety expectations and encourage participation from everyone on site. They don’t need to be lengthy; a quick stand-up meeting will do – maybe even with a side of chocky biscuits to sweeten the deal! We recommend holding these meetings weekly, or at least twice a month, to keep safety at the front of everyone’s minds.

Some building companies take it a step further by incorporating toolbox meetings into their daily routine. Starting each day with a brief safety discussion helps to make safety a daily habit, rather than an afterthought.

Running an effective toolbox meeting

The success of a toolbox meeting hinges on a few key factors:

Planning: Choose a suitable meeting time, decide who needs to be present, and give them advance notice.
Engagement: Keep the tone friendly and conversational. It’s not a lecture, it’s a discussion among teammates. This approach encourages everyone to get involved and share ideas.
Leadership: Lead by example. Clearly outline your expectations and make sure you’re walking the talk.
Simplicity: Avoid jargon and keep the discussion easy to understand
Importance: Emphasize that attending these meetings is an important part of everyone’s job.
Focus: Stick to one or two topics per meeting
Documentation: Keep a record of attendees and discussion points, the HazardCo App makes this simple.

Topics to discuss

Here are some prompts to kickstart discussions in your toolbox meetings:

Recent hazards identified and how you will control them
Recent incidents or near misses on site. Discuss why they happened and what you can improve
Insights from site reviews
How to deal with dust on site
Working near powerlines
Download the Simple Guide to Toolbox meetings for lots more ideas

Toolbox meetings help with communication, collaboration, and continual improvement. Remember, safety is a team effort, and toolbox meetings are where that effort begins.

The HazardCo App includes all the on-site safety reports you need, such as a handy tool to record toolbox meetings.

Get a 7 day free trial.

We all know subcontractors need to complete their SWMS before starting any high-risk construction work but did you know that as the principal contractor, you also need to ensure that a SWMS has been prepared before their work starts?

With HazardCo, it’s easy to stay on top of health and safety activity from your subbies.

Project Plus unlocks the HazardCo app for all of your subbies and it automatically shares the required reports with you, taking the hard yakka out of health & safety for everyone.

With HazardCo, your subbies can easily complete and share their SWMS and other on-site health and safety activity with you. The SWMS form guides your subbies through a step by step creation process. It gives you both confidence that potential hazards have been thought through and controls put in place to avoid harm.

With every report digitally stored on the Hub, you don’t need to chase paperwork or file it away… all your site’s health and safety documents are kept in the one place, which you can access from anywhere, at any time.

When all of your subbies are using HazardCo your on-site management becomes easier, you’re not bogged down with paperwork and all SWMS are in the same format making it faster to review than having to wrap your head around different templates.

SWMS are an essential part of managing health and safety on your site. HazardCo’s clever app makes it even easier for your subbies to create their SWMS and share it with you quickly – keeping your site safe and saving you time every day.

For help getting your subbies signed up, call the HazardCo team today on 1800 954 702.

It’s never good to find out the hard way that there’s a gas, power, water or communications line buried right where you need to put something on your site. When planning for excavation works, it is important to implement safe excavation practices to minimise the risk of injury and hitting critical services.

Digging blind can result in construction delays, increased costs and serious incidents.

What is the definition of excavation?

Excavation work is referred to as any work involving the removal of soil or rock from a site to form an open face, hole or cavity, using tools, machinery or explosives. This includes open excavations, potholing, pit excavations, trenches, retaining walls and shafts and tunnels.

What are my legal obligations?

Employers have a legal duty of care to take reasonable actions to protect both the people and the services which may be affected by their work. Getting and using the appropriate information on the services is an important part of ensuring safe excavation on your site. There is a large range of options this can cover, so we will cover the basics in this article. If you have more complex excavations and want advice then get in contact with us.

Remember any ground disturbance regardless of depth can damage infrastructure networks like gas, water, electricity so you need to get the right information to keep you & the underground services safe.

Where do I start to prevent incidents on-site, protect workers and prevent asset damage?

First, you need to get information on what the assets in the area may be. You can get this information from Before You Dig Australia. This online system is the easiest way to request known plans from the asset owners. It is important to know that not all Asset Owners are members of Before You Dig Australia, so it cannot show you everything that is in the area of your excavation. You may need to contact any other asset owners directly to get hold of plans, drawings and information regarding their assets known positions prior to starting your work.

Wait to receive all information on the assets before commencing work, and only refer to plans that are current.

Once you have information on the assets, make sure the plans are with the workers on-site and that they have appropriate health and safety information and instruction. This information must also be made available to the principal contractor and other subcontractors, and be easily available for inspection for the duration of the work. If you have a notifiable incident the information must be kept for at least 2 years. You should also isolate work around the underground assets from the public.

Pay attention to the clues around your site such as marker posts, inspection points and metres. Never assume pipes and cables run underground in a straight line or are at their correctly specified depth, and always assume all lines are live, even if they look as though they are abandoned or decommissioned.

Remember all digging activities can damage underground infrastructure. You should conduct a risk assessment for the task so that you can identify the hazards to focus on, and put in place suitable controls. Workers involved in the excavation need to be trained and competent to do their part of the work e.g the Excavator operator is appropriately licensed.

Quick tips: The 5 P’s for safe excavation

To minimise the risk of damage and potential loss of life, it’s best practice to follow the 5 P’s for safe excavation:

Plan – Plan ahead by lodging your Before You Dig Australia enquiry at least two business days before your project begins, and make sure you have the correct information required to not just carry out the work but how to respond to any possible emergencies.

Prepare – Prepare by reviewing all available plans from the asset owners and ensure you conduct a visual inspection of the site for any items such as put lids, marker posts, external vents and any other visual clue for service location prior to commencing works. If you need further verification you could have Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) carried out to show exactly where buried things are.

Pothole – To confirm the exact location of the underground infrastructure(s), pothole if permitted using the asset owner’s stated method as specified on the asset owner’s plan and information pack. Work slowly on this as you’re actually trying to “hit” it but without damaging it.

Protect – If potholing has occurred, protect the infrastructure by using various methods; such as communicating to all working on site, erecting barriers and marking the location of the exposed infrastructure.

Proceed – You should only proceed with your excavation work after you have planned, potholed (unless prohibited) and have your necessary protective measures in place.

Remember to stay vigilant and watch for changes in the ground/soil as you dig.

Need Help?

If you’ve got a question about safe excavation or any other health and safety matter, our HazardCo Advisory Team is here to help. Give us a call on 1800 954 702.

Need more information?

Before You Dig Australia has resources available for your state or territory and best practice guidelines. Read our blog on Managing the health and safety risks associated with excavation work.

Get your team involved in health and safety, and watch your workplace become a safer, happier place for everyone.

Understanding your health and safety requirements to your workers

Under health and safety legislation, businesses have a duty to engage with workers and enable them to participate in improving health and safety. The business must:

Ensure that workers’ views on health and safety matters are asked for and considered (within reason), and
Have clear, effective, and on-going ways for workers to suggest improvements or raise concerns on a regular basis.

Remember that your subbies are also considered your workers when they are working for you.

Worker Participation and Engagement

Together with your workers, you can determine the best way to meet these requirements. What is reasonable and practicable will depend on your workers’ views and needs, the size of your business, and the nature of its risks.

Businesses must:

Share information about health and safety
Allow your workers time to think about these issues
Give your workers a chance to:
- Share their thoughts and raise health and safety concerns, and
- Let them be part of the decision-making process
Consider and listen to what your workers have to say
Tell them about the outcomes promptly in a timely way

When is engagement required?

You will need to engage and consult with workers who are directly affected by a matter relating to health and safety. This includes when:

Hazards are identified and assessed
Making decisions about:
- Addressing risks
- The suitability of worksite facilities e.g toilets, hand washing, drinking water
- Monitoring worker health and work conditions
- Providing information and training to workers
- Procedures for resolving work health and safety issues
Proposing changes that may affect the health and safety of workers

Worker Participation

It’s important to have meaningful and effective health and safety talks. It’s good for people and for business. This doesn’t mean hour-long talks or lots of documentation, it’s simply about approaching H&S with the right attitude and aiming to get everyone involved.

HazardCo makes it even simpler to do this with our ‘Toolbox Meeting’ feature on our HazardCo App – handy for making sure everyone on-site is keeping on top of what’s going on.

If you need a hand getting started or would like more information, get in touch with the friendly HazardCo team today.

In the world of construction, it’s common for duties and health and safety responsibilities to overlap. This can be managed simply – just follow the three C’s – Consultation, Cooperation, and Coordination and you’re on your way to a safer work site!

The role of the Employer

Basically, an Employer is required to ensure the health and safety of their workers, contractors or any visitors who might be affected by work operations.

On-site this means that there can be a lot of overlapping duties, so the principal contractor is responsible for coordinating with other businesses/trades/subcontractors so they can all meet their combined responsibilities. See the image below:

Venn Diagram of your business and their business with overlapping duties in the center

When does this apply?

When there are multiple businesses at the same site, each business must do what they can, within their control, to keep workers safe. In these situations, the most effective way to manage workplace health and safety is by working together.

The Three C’s – Consultation, Cooperation & Coordination

By following the three C’s everyone will be aware of their overlapping duties, so roles can be clearly defined and work isn’t impacted.

Consultation

Consultation between businesses can help you all reach a common understanding and establish clear roles, responsibilities, and actions in relation to work health and safety. Consultation could require discussions around:

What work activities are being carried out, how and by who
The degree of influence and control each business has over the workplace (eg. contracts/written agreements)
Who will manage what and how (eg. notifying incidents)
What systems will be put in place to monitor compliance (eg. reviewing the site, how often and who by)
What ongoing communication looks like between themselves and between the workers (eg. toolbox meetings/newsletters/points of contact)

Cooperation

From the consultation comes cooperation. This simply means sharing information and working together to put in place systems for managing and controlling risk agreed during the consultation process. Working together can increase the scope of the hazards recognised – ultimately making the site safer!

Coordination

And last but not least – now actually making sure everything works well together. Businesses should be able to coordinate on what systems will be implemented to control risks. This isn’t about one business pushing all the duties down on another, it’s about everyone involved working together to avoid duplication, or worse, health and safety risks.

The Benefits

What may seem like a hassle at first, is actually a huge benefit to life on-site. Keeping people safe should always be the top priority on any construction site – and of course, Health and safety laws actually require this to be the case. Aligning yourself with other Employers on site and knowing what safety systems are in place is vital and can save lives.

I am a principal contractor, what should I do?

If you are a principal contractor you must document the arrangements in place for consultation, cooperation, and coordination between all the different Employers at your site in your Site Specific Safety Plan (SSSP). The HazardCo system will guide you through creating a SSSP for each of your sites – Test drive the SSSP generator.

Managing your contractors and their H&S responsibilities is easy with the HazardCo system. You’ll get all the tools you need to pre-qualify contractors and check their H&S systems are up to scratch, plus everyone will be able to use the guided HazardCo app on site to create SWMS, log toolbox meetings and more. Get a 7-day HazardCo trial.

If you are a contractor and you have questions on how to best work with other businesses or the process you should follow, have a look at our Overlapping Duties: Working with other businesses blog.

Each year more and more builders are using construction software to manage their business, both on site and in the office. Building companies with good systems and processes in place (particularly digital ones) can create strong, resilient businesses that are prepared for anything. If you’re scrambling around with paperwork and manual time-wasting tasks like it’s the year 2000 check out this guide on the latest in construction software. Go digital and build a resilient business that gets ahead in 2024.

Here are some of the most popular tools that will help you shift into the next gear:

BuiltGrid

Connected Supplier Network

BuiltGrid is the construction industry’s connected supplier network. The platform helps builders to engage with existing trades, services and material suppliers or find new ones.

With access to over 9800+ trades, services and suppliers BuiltGrid will make sure you can win your next project and complete it on time and under budget, profitably.

As the market continues to evolve it can become more difficult for builders to win the projects they want. Toby Loft, co-founder at BuiltGrid says, “Having great supplier relationships is important, but having access and visibility over the market rate is vital to winning the projects you want. BuiltGrid users are achieving cost reductions of over 9% in time, work and materials, these gains are helping them win the projects they want while significantly boosting profits.”

Learn more about BuiltGrid.

Buildxact

Construction management and estimating software

Buildxact is job estimating and job management software designed specifically for residential builders, renovators and trades. It’s the market-leading option for Aussie builders who want to run their construction project from takeoff to the final invoice, all-in-one place.

Buildxact continues to evolve and bring out new tools. It now integrates directly with your favourite suppliers to get the latest prices, which makes the quoting process quicker and more accurate. And a new mobile tool connects you with your on-site crew, to make sure you never miss a beat from the job site again.

Take advantage of estimating software uniquely designed for residential builders and trades. Check out the HazardCo and Buildxact New Year combo offer, running until the end of Feb 2024

Learn more about Buildxact.

Dext

Pre-account software

Dext Prepare is a game-changer for the construction industry, streamlining your financial paperwork management. The app automatically extracts, categorizes and stores all the information you need from your financial paperwork so you can easily submit to accounting software – anywhere and anytime.

Dext Prepare’s leading-edge accuracy and rapid processing remove the need for time-consuming manual data entry. This helps you save valuable hours each week and lowers the risk of errors in your books. This is critical in the construction industry, where financial clarity can impact project timelines and budget management.

Seamlessly integrating with all main accounting platforms – including Xero and QuickBooks Online, Dext Prepare ensures your financial records are always accurate. Your data is stored securely for ten years, providing a reliable archive for easy reference whenever necessary.

With Dext Prepare handling your expenses data, you can focus more on the operational aspects of your construction business, secure in the knowledge that your financial records are in order.

Learn more about Dext.

HazardCo

A simple health and safety system

HazardCo is a health and safety system that makes WHS simple, giving you the confidence you’re keeping your crew and business safe while cutting the time you spend on paperwork.

Paul Shelton from HazardCo says, “You can’t completely avoid the admin that comes with running safe sites but we can make it a heap easier by removing all the time-consuming parts. Lots of small builders will choose to digitize their H&S system before anything else, as it’s an easy win that’s quick to implement and has instant results. If you haven’t seen a demo of HazardCo recently it would be worth looking at it again as lots of new contractor management tools were added to the system last year.”

As the main contractor, you’re responsible for the WHS of everyone on site, not just your direct employees. HazardCo has new and improved tools to get your contractors involved in H&S. As well as saving time, automating your contractor management processes helps to deal with labour fluctuations and provides flexibility.

Find out more about HazardCo.

Landchecker

Property Information

Looking for an efficient way to search for potential sites and check feasibility? Conducting due diligence and reconnaissance from your laptop is really easy with Landchecker’s on-map functionality.

Quickly and easily searches properties to identify key insights, such as; heritage overlays, flood zones, bushfire-prone areas property boundaries, site dimensions, zoning maps, planning permit applications, topography, precinct structure plans, last sold price and more.

Access property titles and plans at competitive prices with one click purchase.

All paid plans now come with High-Resolution Aerial Imagery so you can analyse geospatial data for a “full-picture” view that reveals how potential development site locations/suburbs are

changing over time.

Learn more about Landchecker.

ProCalc

Client budget validator

ProCalc is a quick budget validator that draws data from thousands of residential builders’ projects over Australia.

Builders use ProCalc to accurately ballpark construction concepts in just 15 minutes from their desktop to eliminate tyre kickers & time wasters from their sales pipeline. Reduce wasted time on detailed quotes for clients who couldn’t afford the project by giving them a quick ballpark immediately before proceeding further to detailed estimates.

Builders also use it to stop under-quoting projects. If clients can’t afford their original design, easily ‘tweak’ ballpark estimates in minutes to reduce the scope so you can still win the job but protect your margins. When you’re ready, you can apply localised market construction rates to ballpark estimates to inform your final detailed estimate. Plus, builders can choose the architects/designers they’d rather work with as the preferred builder (rather than the price checker).

ProCalc was created by a builder after interviews with hundreds of registered building practitioners. ProCalc is the missing link in qualifying which prospects can afford your services – those worth investing your time in. Most builders using ProCalc say they save 2-4 days per month in estimating so they can focus on real prospects who become real, paying clients.

Learn more about Procalc.

Xero

Accounting software

Xero is online accounting software for your building company which makes it super easy to automate your admin. Plus, you can work from anywhere, even your ute!

When it comes to construction accounting, if you don’t do it regularly it’s easy to fall behind and things can quickly get out of control. By building accounting into your regular workflows you’re always on top of it. Xero is cloud-based and simple to use. Whether you are on-site or in the office you can access Xero on your smartphone or tablet so you’ll never get behind.

Xero connects to your bank, bookkeeper, accountant and other financial apps you might use such as Dext.

Find out more about Xero.

Any work undertaken near live overhead electric lines carries the risk of electric shock. Touching a live overhead line with any part of the body, tools or any other equipment can cause serious injury and even fatality.

Make sure that you and your team are aware of the following steps that can be taken to manage the risk of an electric shock.

Forward planning is essential. Before work starts, the person in control should:

Identify all overhead electric lines in the area where work will be carried out and identify any potential hazards
Assess the risk of harm
Eliminate the risk of electric shock by disconnecting the electricity supply to the overhead lines
Minimise if you are not able to disconnect the electrical supply then implement other controls such as insulation.

You must prepare a SWMS before work starts and make sure it includes all the potential hazards and expected controls. Collaborate with your workers in developing the SWMS, ensuring they understand how the task is to be performed.

Eliminating the risk of electric shock

Disconnecting the electric supply

The safest option to eliminate the risk of electric shock is to temporarily disconnect a property’s electricity supply from the electricity distribution lines so that the overhead line to the property is no longer live.

Keep people informed so they can plan ahead

Find out who needs to know that the electricity supply will be temporarily disconnected. Such as:

The property owner
People working on-site
Other businesses working at the site – in this case, businesses must use the 3 C’s – consult, cooperate and coordinate activities to manage the shared health and safety risks. You can read more about this in our blog ‘Overlapping Duties: Working with other businesses’

Anyone who could be affected by the disconnection of the electricity supply should be told:

How long the power will be off
Who will be affected and when
What will be done to ensure that the power is off for as short a time as possible?

Safe Approach Distances (SADs)

If work needs to take place near an overhead electric line then the worker’s body, their tools, and their equipment must be kept a safe distance away from the overhead line, or else the electrical supply must be disconnected by the approved electrical supplier. This is known as the safe approach distance, or SAD.

More information on Safe Approach Distances can be found on your state Regulator’s website or contacting the energy supplier.

Keeping you and your team safe at work is a priority, so make sure you are aware of the requirements of working near power lines. The HazardCo App Site Review resource has a list of electrical controls that should be in place to mitigate the risk of electrical hazards. If in doubt, you can give our team of Health and Safety Advisors a call on 1800 954 702.

The holiday season is over and it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Coming back to work and reopening your site is just as important as shutting it down. The New Year is the perfect opportunity to refocus and set the tone for the year ahead. Coming back to work after a couple of weeks off can give some people a serious case of Mondayitis, so consider taking the following steps on the first day back:

Instead of rushing and getting stuck into it, hold a kick-off toolbox to re-brief the crew on the SSSP, emergency arrangements, SWMS, and check everyone is fit for work.
Complete a Site Review to identify any new hazards.
- Inspect the site to ensure everything was how you left it – fences are still in place, and containers are locked.
Reinstate any areas that need attention – inspect and retag scaffolds, check structures and excavations that may have been affected by inclement weather.
Thoroughly inspect all tools and equipment and prestart mobile plant before use.

Having a soft start can ensure that everyone has enough time to check their work areas and equipment, and remind everyone that safety is the number one priority. This also includes keeping in mind workers don’t overheat after spending the last couple of weeks in air conditioning, relaxing, and indulging. They may not be acclimatized to working in the heat.

As the weather heats up, so can risk on-site. Make sure that workers are provided with adequate protection from working in the heat so that they can do their work safely and comfortably.

If it’s too hot, consider stopping the task until the hot conditions have passed. You may also think about swapping physical work for plant or machinery, for tasks such as lifting or digging.

Make sure there’s good airflow going through the workspace by opening up windows or using fans. If the work is outdoors, consider setting up shade tents or additional undercover areas.

Ensure your workers have access to drinking water and sunscreen, as we all know how harsh the Aussie sun can get. Wearing the right clothing and PPE will also make working in the heat more comfortable such as wearing loose-fitting, light-weight clothing, sunglasses, and sun-protective hats.

Not everyone reacts to heat the same way so you should keep an eye out on each other and if a worker experiences heat-related illness, you must act quickly. For the early stages of heat-related illness, first aid can often be effective, but you should always seek medical assistance if in doubt, or if the person’s symptoms are severe. Symptoms to look out for are:

Dizziness and feeling weak
Vomiting and nausea
Pale, cool and clammy skin
Rapid breathing and shortness of breath
Heat cramps resulting from heavy sweating without replacing salt and electrolytes
Dehydration from increased sweating and workers not drinking enough water

Be prepared this summer and make sure and remember to keep the health, safety, and well-being of workers first. Here are some helpful resources and if you have any questions you can contact the Advisory Team on 1800 954 702.

Worksites tend to be filled with constant noise from tools and machinery.

While noise often means things are getting done, there is a downside to it. Hazardous noise can affect a worker’s physical and mental wellbeing including hearing loss, stress, and lower productivity. So to help you protect your hearing, here are a few helpful tips to keep your ears in tip-top-shape.

Understand noise and it’s path

Understanding what makes noise on-site and how it impacts people and different areas on site is critical. Ask yourself and your workers:

Where does most of the noise come from?
What tools or machinery are the loudest?
How does noise travel around the site?

Once you understand the answers to the above, you can start putting actions into place to control noise on-site.

Be sure to monitor and review the controls throughout the project, as different stages will create varying levels of noise.

Eliminate or reduce

The easiest way to decrease the effect of excessive noise on your site is to eliminate the source of noise completely. But, chances are this isn’t possible on a busy site.

The next best thing is to reduce noise.

A couple of easy ways to do this include:

Using less powerful tools
Can the work be done differently to reduce noise levels
Keep noisy machinery or work stations away from walls or corners – really anywhere noise can bounce off and echo throughout site

Isolation

Isolation involves creating a dedicated space for ‘noisy work’. This could be an enclosed room or area of site where all noisy work and machinery is used or placing workers in an enclosed cabin when operating mobile plant. This helps to block the path of noise and reduce the levels that reach your team.

Engineering

Having a good understanding of how machinery and tools operate can help modify processes to reduce noise at the source. Engineering controls can include choosing attachments or parts that are noise reducing, or changing the way machinery and tools are used.

Vibrations

With noise comes vibrations. These vibrations can be just as harmful as the noise itself.

Here are a few strategies to help decrease vibrations when using machines or power tools:

Heavy surfaces vibrate less and radiate less noise. So if you can, perform all work with power tools on heavy surfaces, such as concrete.
If you can, work on benches/ surfaces that aren’t solid – holes allow noise to escape and not bounce off the surface.
Place machinery or generators in an area of site where they are not trapped by walls unless they are made of noise-cancelling/absorbing materials.

It’s not possible to escape noise on-site, however we can put steps in place to help reduce the effect that noise has on us while we’re working.